• Determine the goal . What is the number one outcome your customers want when they read the document? Should it solve a typical customer problem step by step, explain a feature, or teach customers how to use the product?
• Give it a structure. In what order will your customer need the information? A short introduction followed by step-by-step instructions can serve as a useful template. What other pages would be useful to link to?
• Skip walls of text. Break up long paragraphs and add subheadings to make the white paper easier to scan. Perhaps you need to add a table of contents for a long white paper?
• Offer an experience. Add images, infographics, videos, or other media to create a rich experience for customers. A well-chosen screenshot can be the difference between getting another support call or helping customers solve a problem on their own.
• Stay on brand. First and foremost, customize your help files according to your overall style guidelines. Then you can pay attention to how you convey your brand’s personality. A help guide doesn’t have to be boring. Have you found the perfect gif that illustrates (and empathizes with) your customers’ frustrations? If that’s your style, add it!
• Keep selling yourself. Remember Mark Baker’s concept of “every page is a page one”. Yes, you may be solving a technical problem… but that page can still be the first page a potential customer sees and function as a landing page. How do you present your business and talk about the benefits of being your customer?

Now that you have an idea of what it takes to create a useful white paper, let us help you choose the right authoring solution.

Which white paper solution is right for your business?

It’s important to consider not only what you need from a white paper authoring tool, but also the overall needs of your business. You don’t want to take a risk by choosing a tool that turns out to be too simple and doesn’t fit your future plans. At the same time, you don’t want the system to get bogged down with features you don’t need.

Many specialized help desk solutions focus on one thing: customer support. However, Helpjuice offers powerful knowledge base software that can do much more – it’s a complete knowledge management solution.

Yes, it’s great for customer service, but you can also use it to onboard employees, collaborate on a presentation, or share the latest sales numbers – all in one tool.

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Depending on your needs, you can either host the software yourself or opt for a cloud-based solution. While Confluence is a solid option, it may be too complex for small teams that need a simple help creation tool.

Highlights :

• Real-time collaboration with @mentions and inline comments
• Customizable, easy-to-understand templates
• Import and export to formats such as Word, PDF, and HTML
• Advanced security, data encryption, and privacy compliance features
• Users get a personalized workspace that they can organize as they wish

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Help creation tools cover a wide spectrum, from basic versions with basic features to advanced component-based content management systems (CCMS) that manage information at a detailed level. Most companies will benefit from a solution that falls somewhere in between these two extremes.

Some basic features you can expect from any help authoring tool include:

• Single-source creation: adding source text that can be compiled into various formats
• Import and export help documentation
• Edit text, code, or data
• Manage indexes, tables of contents, or images
• Add multiple authors to work together on the same text
• Customize the interface to match your brand

Several tools offer advanced features such as customization, enhanced security features, and analytics tools. Many tools offer a “What You See Is What You Get” (WYSIWYG) view, making it easy to see the impact of any changes. Others are more powerful XML-based development tools that require more technical expertise from the user, but can accommodate more complex processes.

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• Saving time and money : HAT allows technical writers to create and update content more efficiently, saving time and reducing the costs associated with developing documentation.
• Improved consistency and branding: Many development aids provide templates and style guides to ensure that documentation has a consistent format, look and feel, which is important for maintaining a professional image and strong branding.
• Single source: Help creation tools often support single source, which means you can create content once and then reuse it in multiple formats (e.g., PDF, HTML, and online help systems) without having to reformat or rewrite the content. This reduces redundancy and increases efficiency.
• Enables collaboration: Help authoring software usually includes features that facilitate collaboration between team members, such as version control, comments, and real-time editing. This helps keep everyone on the same page and ensures that the final documentation is accurate and cohesive.
• Easy documentation maintenance: With the help of the help creation tool, updating and maintaining documentation becomes a less cumbersome process. Authors can make changes to a single source file, and these updates will automatically propagate to all formats, ensuring that the latest information is always available to users.
• Improved efficiency: Good help creation software will include features to help create comprehensive indexes and search functions, making it easier for users to find the information they need quickly and efficiently.
• Localization: HATs often include support for multiple languages, making it easier to translate and localize content for a global audience.
• Accessibility compliance: Help authoring tools can help you create content that complies with accessibility standards and guidelines, ensuring that documentation is accessible to users with disabilities.

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